COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Hunters across the country say they are boycotting Colorado because of recent legislation meant to curtail gun violence.

Colorado last week became the first Western state to ratchet back gun rights in response to mass shootings at a suburban Denver movie theater and an elementary school in Connecticut. Opponents warned the gun controls would hurt hunters, especially an expansion of background-check requirements to apply to personal and online gun sales.

Republican opponents of the new background-check law said it would make criminals of hunters lending each other weapons for weekend hunting trips. In response, Democrats changed the bill to give people a 72-hour grace period to share guns without triggering background-check requirements. Republicans then complained the bill would imperil weeklong hunting trips.

Gun-rights advocates who said hunters would boycott Colorado in protest say they are following through on their threats.

Northwest Colorado hunting guide Chris Jurney expects more state defections in a major tourism industry. Out-of-state hunters accounted for 15 percent of hunting licenses last year, 86,000, compared with 489,000 for residents.

"There's a united front of sportsmen that are tired of having their freedoms and liberties and fundamental rights taken away from them," said Jurney, vice president of the Colorado Outfitters Association. "That kind of unity among sportsmen is going to be big, and unfortunately for those of us who live here, we're going to suffer the consequences of this misguided legislation."

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said his agency has asked the state attorney general's office for advice on impacts to hunters. While legal possession of high-capacity magazines is grandfathered in, officials want to make sure they are still legal to use.

"We believe there's the potential for impact. That's out of our control," he said. "Hunting is a tool to manage wildlife populations, and we do not believe the impacts will affect that part of our mission."

Jurney said he expects the actual impact of gun regulations on Colorado hunters will be small. Varmint hunters tend to use high-capacity magazines, so they might be limited.

The Colorado Tourism Office, which tracks travel spending in Colorado, did not immediately return a call seeking details about whether a hunting boycott was being felt.

Black Blade: No surprise here. I read of several folk cancelling guided group elk hunts this fall in Colorado. Gun owners and firearms business people have a strong history of boycotting places where they are not welcome. Organizers of a Pennsylvania outdoors gun show cancelled the event after a backlash over a ban on assault rifles. Seems those who bought space at the event were not happy and they cancelled - in fact over a third of exhibitors cancelled causing the Brit owned Reed Exhibitions to cancelled the event altogether. Seems the Brits underestimated the American gun owner (again like they did in 1776). Now the leftists in charge of Colorado are learning the lesson as well.

03-28-2013, 04:31 AM

Coils

There was a guy on a local talk radio program, he said he goes to Colorado every year for a hunting trip and spends $5-6k just out there. He's not going this year, he's going to one of the neighboring states instead.

03-28-2013, 09:33 AM

STGUSN

Why not go to Wyoming instead? I'm sure you can bag just about anything there that you could in Colorado. That is where I would head to.

03-28-2013, 09:53 AM

DiabloII

I'd go to Wyoming,Nevada,New Mexico,Arizona even Utah before i would ever go to Colorado to hunt.

hell even skiing trip I'll go Utah :tongue:

03-31-2013, 10:05 AM

twa2471

I'm doing my own little boycott of NY,, at least in some small ways.

#1, This year for the first time in eons,, I didn't get a NY hunting / fishing Lic. = 0 $$$$

#2 Did not rejoin a NY based 4 wheeler club in which I'd been a member of for a long time,,=0$

#3 Got 9 other people/families in this area,,(and it didn't take much convincing ), to pull there campers out of campgrounds, cancel hunting lease's (mine included), cancel snowmobile/4 wheeler trips, not purchase license's, relocate family camping trips, ect to other local "friendly states". = SERIOUS!! 0 $$$$$

So far that's all I've been able to do, but I informed Como about this fact on his web site, along with my opinions about NY firearms laws. Quoting some of the sportsman unfriendly laws being the #1 reason for my,, no longer supporting the state with my dollars. Seems all the 9 other folks I referred to that are involved in this "mini protest" have written too,,,,,YES!!! That may catch there attention some. The more the merrier!!

DOWWWWWW!!!!!!

Hit them in the pocket book,,,, that,,, will get there attention pretty fast I'd think. Especially if lots of sportsmen speak up and do this. Lots of sportsmen in this area are already doing the same thing,,,, even though there's some SMOKER DEER in the Adirondacks and it,,, Will Hurt,,,, not hunting them for a couple years if need be,,,, just to make a point. Lots of us are doing it anyways.

I guess when the gubberment push's ya around,,, there's legal ways to push back if you're smart about it!!! And those ways can Really put a real "CRIMP " in a states budget outlook.